An Unlikely Hero
by MicchiChan
Summary: In a world where Easter Company has almost unlimited control, Ikuto Tsukiyomi escapes their imprisonment and begins to fight back for all of the unethical actions Easter has taken. With the help of his friends, he fights to ensure that others do not suffer the fate he had been dealt. But things are not quite black and white, and the line between good and evil is blurred.
1. Enter Ikuto Tsukiyomi

**AN:**

**Hello everyone. :)**

**This is the first Shugo Chara fanfiction I've ever written and I'm excited to see how it'll turn out. Since I first came across the anime, I have had a bit of an obsession with Ikuto. I mean, come on, blue hair, humor, and mystery, what more could you want? :) As I mentioned in the summary, this is an AU story and for those of you who have played Final Fantasy 10 , imagine a world similar to Spira, small villages and such, because that is what I had in mind when I came up with this fanfic's world.**

**Alrighty, enough from me. Enjoy the reading and PLEASE review, especially on this first chapter so I know whether it is worthwhile to update or not. Thanks a bunch. :)**

_Cold winter night air entered the bedroom through the open window. Moonlight shone through the curtains and the gentle breeze blew them about, making them appear to dance. As the cold reached the feet at the end of a small bed, a young child stirred, stretching out and yawning widely. The child rubbed his tired eyes and slowly opened them and looked around the room. Wrapping his blanket tightly around his slight frame, he stood from the bed and made his way to the door._

_A young woman with long and flowing dark blue hair wrapped in an elegant bun at the base of her neck sat in front of a Christmas tree, whose branches were glittering with lights. Scattered underneath its limbs were presents wrapped in greens and reds with cute images of snowmen and penguins and the like adorning them. The smell of pine tree and peppermint was wafting through the air. The woman looked up and smiled at the sound of sleepy feet shuffling down the stairs towards her._

_When the light from the tree hit the form of the little boy, his loosely fitting pajama pants and long-sleeved buttoned shirt hanging slightly from his small two year old body and his unusual blue hair, slightly tousled from sleep, made his mother smile adoringly at him. He had the look of a half asleep child, but even through his tired eyes, excitement shone brightly._

"_Okaa-san? Did Santa already come?" He asked in an excited whisper, hope shining in his eyes._

"_Not yet, Ikuto. It's still too early sweetheart. Go back to sleep, Santa will come then, ne?" She smiled at her son and picked him up gently in her arms to carry him back to bed. After tucking him in and making sure he was warm and cozy, she smiled to herself again and walked out of his room._

"_Aruto...our son is growing up. I wish you could be here to see how cute he is. He's just like you. I'm sure you would be proud." Ikuto's mother said, staring off into the lights of the Christmas tree, completely lost in her own world and missing dearly her deceased husband. His death happened about this time of year, a cold winter, when Ikuto was still an unborn child within her. Nothing had been the same without him and she often wished the young boy could have met his father._

"_'Kaa-san? Is he here yet?" Ikuto asked again sleepily. Though he had only been in bed for about twenty minutes, to him it felt like hours. Surely Santa must have come by now, he thought. His mother smiled at his lack of understanding as far as time was concerned, but couldn't bring herself to tell him to go back to bed._

"_Yes, Ikuto, Santa came. Come sit with me and open you present from your otou-san." She beckoned him over to her. He waddled his way over to her and plopped down by her side, looking in awe at the Christmas tree._

"_Otou-san?" He questioned._

"_Your otou-san would have wanted you to have this. Though you can't use it yet, I think you'd like to have it. Here, open it Ikuto." The woman said, smiling sweetly at her son and handing him a long, thin box wrapped in shiny red paper._

_The boy ripped into the paper enthusiastically, excited to find out what might be inside, especially since his mom told him it was from his father. His eyes widened in awe at the contents of the box._

"_Uwah~"_

"_Do you like it, Ikuto? It was your father's favorite sword. He forged it himself." Water built up a little in the mother's eyes as she remembered just how much her husband had valued that sword. The only thing he loved more was her and the child he had known she carried._

"_It's so cool, 'kaa-san!" Ikuto squealed, running a hand along the handle of the sword reverently._

"_**Ikuto. Lift the sword."**_

"_Huh? Did you say something 'kaa-san?" The boy asked, looking at her in confusion. She shook her head, having no idea what the boy was talking about._

"_**Ikuto. I am Yoru, your father's sword."**_

"_Okaa-san, do you hear that?"_

"_Hear what, Ikuto?" She asked, looking both quizzically and concerned at her son._

_The young boy took on a look of concentration, practically glaring at the sword, daring it to speak again, if it really was speaking. He decided it was best to just try to lift the sword. It wouldn't do any harm, after all..._

_Ikuto reached for the handle of the blade and lifted it, noting that though it was twice his size, it was light enough to hold, as though it was made to adjust to his capabilities. He heard his mom tell him that it was dangerous for him to hold the sword, but he was so focused on the sword itself and how right it felt for him to be wielding it that he tuned her out._

"_**There. You see? We'll get along just fine, Ikuto."**__ Yoru, the sword, said. Ikuto was pretty sure now __that the sword only spoke in his mind, since his okaa-s__an couldn't hear it. The boy felt __warmth__ in his fingertips and saw a light blue glow surrounding his hands and the sword. His mother stared in shock and mild horror._

"_Ikuto, honey, put the sword down now, please." Her voice edged on panic._

_It was then that the door to the house burst open and two masked people armed with guns entered the house._

"_So the brat was right, there really is a kid with newly awakened magic in this house. Sorry miss, but we'll have to take him." One of the men said without a hint of apology in his voice._

"_No! You can't take my son from me! He's all I have left!" She cried, throwing her arms protectively around her son and pulling him to her. She sobbed loudly and refused to let the men tear the boy away from her._

_A scream and a gunshot filled the young boy's ears simultaneously as he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was his mother's tear stained face and her bloody chest. It would be the last time Ikuto Tsukiyomi saw his mother._

Ikuto awoke from his reoccurring nightmare from that night drenched in sweat. He cried out as he awoke and bolted upright into a sitting position. Even after seventeen years, the memories still disturbed his sleep, especially on cold winter nights like this one.

"Okaa-san..." He whispered brokenly into the night air.

Anger boiled to the surface of Ikuto's mind once again, aimed towards the people that had killed his mother and essentially kidnapped and imprisoned him. Though he had escaped from them five years ago, the horrors of that place would never leave his mind.

He looked around him at the small one room tree-house that he had been occupying for the past five years. His small bed, makeshift table, and double drawer chest of clothes were about all he had. And he was one of the lucky ones, not many could escape from that place.

Ikuto sighed and walked over to his beloved sword, Yoru.

"What do we do, Yoru? Those people from way back then have become powerful...Because of them, we have to live like thieves simply because we oppose them. And surely there are other kids like me held there against their will."

"**Yeah, however there is not much that can be done, Ikuto. You could put aside your current mission to make those people miserable and rescue a few of those kids, you know."**

"Mm. Perhaps. It will be a challenge. Think you can handle it, Yoru?" Ikuto asked, smirking.

"**Just who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can handle it, Ikuto."**

"Alright then. Let's do this."

**A/N:**

**Being the first chapter and all, your input is crucial. PLEASE REVIEW. Be it constructive criticism or praise, it doesn't matter, so long as I get some feedback. Thanks!**


	2. Enter Nozomi Hoshi

**AN:**

**I realize that Yoru is OOC, but that's partially because he's a sword. I mean, I can't imagine a mischievous alley cat-like sword...Can you? So I apologize if that irritates anyone, but I really had to modify his character. Basically, I simply borrowed the name and the concept of him being Ikuto's companion.**

**Also, in this chapter, you meet the first OC I have created for this story. I'm curious to see what you will think of her. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for your patience!**

Chapter 2:

"Kizuku. Can you feel it?"

"**Yes, Nozomi-chan. That boy's power is flaring up again. He is quite strong."**

"Indeed he is. The higher ups of Shijouken Corp want me to capture him again for them. All of their efforts these last four years to seize him have been...say, less than satisfactory."

"**Of course they have. They can't seriously believe they could catch a magic user with mere human lackeys. Ha! Especially this boy, there is something different about him."**

"There _must _be something different. He is the only one to ever escape this place and evade all of their attempts to recapture him. And he certainly was not the only one to try. To escape this place on his first attempt when he was only thirteen...It makes me respect this Ikuto Tsukiyomi to a degree."

"**Will you follow the company's orders, Nozomi-chan? Are you really going to try to capture Tsukiyomi?"**

"Of course, Kizuku. After all, it means that we get to leave this place. Fresh air is something I have not had in months. Plus, a challenge is always exciting."

"**You never change, do you, Nozomi Hoshi?"**

The girl, Nozomi, chuckled, her unnatural looking purple eyes lighting up mischievously.

"I suppose not."

Nozomi walked over to the set of drawers that rested beneath the mirror in her room. She picked up a ribbon, deep purple like her eyes, and reached back to tie her long black hair into a pony tail.

Next, she put on her favorite outfit, mission or otherwise. It resembled a kimono, though it ended mid-thigh. The rather large obi around the middle was a dark purple, while the rest of the outfit was almost white, with light hints of purple on the ends of the sleeves and near the bottom of the kimono. The sleeves themselves reached her wrists and extra fabric from them hung down toward the bottom of the outfit. Her finishing touch was her practically knee-high black boots.

Nozomi smiled at herself in the mirror once before spinning back toward the bed and picking up her beloved bow, Kizuku. She had no need to carry arrows, because her abilities allowed her to create them instantly with simply a thought. Among all of the warriors at Shojouken, she was undoubtedly one of the best, though to save their pride, many would never admit it.

"Let's go, Kikuzu." Her voice was almost lost to the wind as she jumped out of her window, only to land gracefully three stories below it, one knee bent beneath her and the other off to the side to take the impact out of the landing.

Following the trail that Ikuto's magic created, she made her way quietly through the small village of Hikari, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. It was the dead of night, so there were very few people out walking around and those that were out would see nothing of the ninja-like girl except her shadow for a fleeting moment. By the time they would turn to investigate, she would be gone.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi. Nozomi spotted her target, perched atop a tall tree, staring at the moon, his sword in his hand. A blue glow could faintly be seen spreading up his arm from the sword. When the light faded, Ikuto had blue cat ears and a long cat tail. Nozomi watched silently with a kind of awe. She had known he could transform, but knowing and seeing are entirely different things.

"Who's there? Show yourself." Ikuto called out, not even bothering to turn around.

Nozomi flinched slightly. She was never spotted! How could this boy sense her presence? She sighed to herself in irritation, it appeared she would have to train and improve her skills further. Stepping forward a few feet out of the shadows and into the moonlight, she smirked.

"You're good, Tsukiyomi."

"Or maybe you're just no good at all." Ikuto said, turning now to face her with a smug smirk. He jumped from the top of the high tree, flipped once midair, and landed right in front of her, smirking all the while.

Nozomi growled at him and shot him a glare. How dare he insult her! She would show him!

"You're coming back to Shijouken with me, cat." She spat the last word with as much venom as she could muster, clearly upset over his insult.

Ikuto chuckled. "Oh am I? Catch me if you can." He said as he jumped up a good ten feet and began hopping the treetops.

Irritated, Nozomi followed him just as quickly. When she was only a tree behind him, she stopped and pulled her bowstring back, aiming and arrow at his shoulder.

"Kizuku. Go! Suimin no yajirushi!" (AN: Sleep Arrow)

"**Got it."**

Violet light surrounded the arrow before it was released from the bowstring with a whoosh of air.

Sure enough, her arrow hit its mark, but Ikuto didn't stop, he simply grunted and pulled the arrow out of his shoulder quickly, not once stopping. Nozomi smirked. The arrow tip had a substance on it that would soon cause him to fall asleep. She tailed him further, waiting for him to fall.

"**Ikuto! The arrow tip was-" **Yoru began.

"Shut up, Yoru! I'll fight it, I have to! I'm not going back to that place unless it's to free someone else. I will not be a prisoner again!" Ikuto yelled, struggling with all of his might to stay awake. He could feel his consciousness trying to slip away under his feet.

Nozomi watched him in irritation. Surely he should have passed out by now. No one had ever managed to stay away for long after her sleep arrows hit them.

"Kizuku! Why is it not working? What IS this guy?"

"**I'm not sure how he is able to keep going, Nozomi-chan. Puzzling."**

Nozomi growled.

"Next time, alley cat!" She yelled, stopping her pursuit.

Ikuto's light chuckle could be heard as he continued to flee from Nozomi. He counted himself lucky, for he could feel the sleep tugging more insistently at him. It wouldn't be long before he'd have to give in to sleep.

"**Stay awake, Ikuto! Nikaidou's home is close by."**

"Alright, Yoru."

Whoever that girl was, she is a force to be reckoned with. Shijouken sent her to take him back, Ikuto was sure of it...he needed to be more careful if he wanted to avoid getting captured.

Ikuto sighed in relief when the home of the man who had allowed him to create a tree-house on his property came into view. This man was an employee at Shijouken who wanted their activities to stop. He supported Ikuto whole heartedly, glad that at least one child had escaped from the horrible place.

"Nikaidou!" Ikuto yelled, feeling the last bit of his consciousness fade out. He felt arms catch him and knew that Nikaidou had rushed out of the house to catch him. It wasn't uncommon for Ikuto to come home like this.

Nikaidou moved the unconscious boy to the couch in his home and shook his head. The boy just couldn't seem to stay out of trouble...though it was all Shijouken's fault. Had that company not taken Ikuto's mother's life, the boy may have lived a normal, happy life. Nikaidou sighed and placed his head in his hands. His decision to stop the company from within had never been stronger than it was now.

Shijouken must fall.

**Clicky clicky~**

**l**

**l**

**l**

**V**


	3. Soccer, Power, and Escape

**AN:**

**As I'm sure you've noticed, the first few chapters have been introductions for the most part with only a little action. This should be the last intro chapter for a while, hopefully. **

"Hand me Kiseki please, Kukai," a soft featured blonde boy asked in a hushed tone.

"Gotcha, Tadase. Let's do this thing!" replied a fiery orange haired boy, in a slightly more excited whisper. The boy grabbed a large staff that belonged to the blonde boy, Tadase Hotori, and extended his arm in his direction.

Kukai Souma and Tadase Hotori were childhood friends, doing just about everything together from the time they met mere toddlers, tumbling around in attempts to walk, to the current time. Shijouken found that Kukai had powers, specifically the ability to bend fire to his will and expert swordsmanship with his double daggers, Daichi, when the boys were thirteen. When they sent men in to take Kukai away, Tadase's powers awakened as he tried to protect his friend.

_It was a hot day, beyond hot in fact, and Kukai could feel the sweat rolling down his back as the sun beat down on him. He and his best friend, Tadase, were playing a friendly, but highly competitive soccer match._

_Kukai concentrated long and hard on the ball, contemplating his next move and knowing that if he could make this point, the game would be tied. He smirked, running full speed toward the stationary soccer ball, ready to put all of his force behind this single kick. Kukai frowned slightly when he saw Tadase's face cringe with horror, but shook it off, assuming that his friend was simply afraid he might lose now that Kukai was getting serious._

"_Kukai! Behind you!" Tadase yelled, causing Kukai to stop abruptly, his foot making contact with the ball and sending it flying down the field and straight into the goal. Kukai's eyes widened as he realized that the ball had burnt through the goal and had set it on fire! He glanced behind him and shared in Tadase's shock and fear._

_From the spot a few feet in front of the other goal, where Kukai had been before he charged at the ball, to the place he was now standing, flames burst to life, turning all of the grass in its path a burnt blackish brown color._

"_Um. That's...not normal." Kukai stated, simply voicing his confusion. Tadase nodded weakly, not entirely sure how he should be reacting._

_Two men in black uniforms appeared on the side of the field then, as if out of thin air. The two thirteen year old boys turned to look at them, confusion and fear dancing in their eyes._

"_Hey, red head, why don't you come with us, we've got something for you in our car." One of the men said, smiling wickedly._

"_We're not falling for that trick." Kukai said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring the men down._

"_Ugh. Preteens. Come on, let's get 'em," The second man in black said, gesturing toward Kukai. Both men started to run toward the boys at the same time, obviously intent on capturing Kukai._

_Tadase, feeling protective of his friend and angry at these people for trying to essentially kidnap him, stood in front of Kukai and spread his arms out to the sides. Before long, a large staff with a crown like top appeared in his hand. Tadase wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, but he heard a voice in his mind telling him what he should do._

"_Holy Crown!" He yelled out, feeling warmth flow from his fingertips to the staff and watching in awe as a golden barrier formed around him and Kukai, then went bursting toward the men who wanted to take Kukai away. The men fell for a moment and one of them groaned, but unfortunately, Tadase's new powers were not strong enough to do enough damage to keep them down._

"_Looks like that one needs to be taken in too," One of the men said, dusting off his pants from the grass and smirking at Tadase like a predator would his prey. Tadase flinched._

"_Be careful though, this boy seems to have more control over his powers than the fiery haired one, he might be trouble," The other man said. His concern was really unimportant, because Tadase's use of powers for the first time had him dizzy and losing consciousness. In a few seconds, he fell backward. Kukai rushed to catch him before he hit the ground, just barely reaching him in time._

"_If we go with you, will you promise not to hurt my friend?" Kukai said, glaring at the two men in black, trying to show them just how serious he was. It was his turn to protect Tadase and return the favor. _

"_Fine, kid. We won't hurt you, just come quietly."_

Kukai smiled again to himself at the memory. They hadn't cooperated entirely, and he remembered clearly the harsh scolding the two men got for not being able to handle two adolescents.

"Kukai, wake up Amu, it's time. Utau will be here soon," Tadase said, taking on a role of leadership. The only way this operation would work would be if all of them were on alert and ready for anything.

"Amu. Amu-chan! Wake up," Kukai said in a hushed whisper, shaking the shoulders of a girl with shoulder-length pink hair. Emerald eyes opened sleepily and stared up at him for a minute before realization dawned on the girl.

"Ah! It's time?" Amu asked quietly. Kukai and Tadase both nodded.

"Good timing guys. Sorry I took longer than expected. It wasn't easy to convince the guards that I could handle patrolling for a while."

The group of three, Kukai, Tadase, and Amu, looked up to see a tall, slender girl standing in front of the prison bars of the their cell. The girl had waist length blonde hair in pigtails on the sides of her head, some bangs and stray strands hanging down near her face. She wore a black dress that reached just above her knees and an assortment of small bracelets on her small wrists.

"Finally. I'm sick of this cell," Kukai said, stretching his arms and putting his hands behind his hair, a grin stretching across his face. Shijouken had recently moved the three to this cell because they had been intentionally stirring up trouble. While most kids living in Shijouken were pampered, there was a price, and it wasn't one this trio was willing to pay. So, they had come up with an escape plan, with the help from this blonde woman, Utau Hoshina, a higher up in the company who honestly wanted out as badly as they did.

"You're coming with us, right, Utau-chan?" Amu asked, her eyes lit up with the hope of getting out of this place that she had always hated.

"Yes, now, let's go." Utau said, motioning to Kukai.

Kukai nodded and smirked, gladly complying and using his power over fire, as planned, to melt the bars of their prison. Amu watched in awe, and he turned to smile triumphantly back at her.

"Alright, Kukai, we get it. You're amazing. Now hurry up! We don't have any time to lose. Another guard could come down here at any time." Utau said, earning a frown from Kukai, who was forced to come back to reality.

The four made a run for it, as quickly but quietly as possible, taking all of the back routes through the winding hallways of the building, avoiding guards and other kids who lived there. They finally reached a back door that led outside, and came face to face with a guard who stood his post by the door.

"He-" The guard started, but was interrupted when Utau rushed behind him and covered his mouth. She nodded to Tadase and closed her eyes. Tadase quickly used a beam of light magic from Kiseki, his scepter, to temporarily blind the guard.

The group pushed the man aside and kept running, making it through the door and face to face with their final obstacle in between them and freedom, the wall surrounding the Shijouken Company.

"Holy Crown!" Tadase yelled, making a large bouncy crown appear to assist them in getting over the wall. Amu went first, bouncing up high then flipping in the air and landing at the top of the wall. She nodded to the others before disappearing to the other side of the wall. Tadase went next, in the same fashion as Amu.

Kukai also bounced to the top, but stayed there and waited for Utau. His eyes widened as he saw reinforcement guards rushing up behind her.

"Utau! Quickly! Grab my hand!" Kukai shouted, obviously distressed and reaching down towards Utau to pull her up.

"Thank you, Souma, but I can't. You must go without me. I'll hold them off while you make your escape." She said, her eyes looking at him sadly, but with resolve.

"But you'll be punished! And you may never get another chance to escape! Please—-Utaaaaaaaaaaau!" Kukai yelled, being dragged away by Tadase, who shook his head sadly and pulled Kukai's arm until he began running, a few stray tears falling from the red head's eyes and hitting the ground beneath him.

_I will come back for you, Utau. I'll save you. I promise_, Kukai swore to himself.

**AN:**

**Got some good background started, and the appearance of the rest of the gang. **** Let me know what you think. Another chapter should be posted within the next week. Thanks as always.**

**-Micchi-Chan-**


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